Another Round of Bottle Babies

We just picked up seven more bottle babies this morning. Scott and I just fed them their bottles and then the boys went into their pen to snuggle with them. The youngest is four days old. Some of them are so fluffy, they look like plush dolls. To clarify, these babies are in constant motion, as are our boys. A nice, crisp picture may just … Continue reading Another Round of Bottle Babies

A Happy Little Symphony

It turns out, our goats are not pregnant. Yes. We are beginners, and we thought they were, and didn’t really know what to look for, and were confused by how not fat they were. Birthing time came and went, and went by a long stretch, and nothing. We talked to our Goat Mentor, Sue, who had them out to her property for breeding, witnessed the … Continue reading A Happy Little Symphony

Dinosaurs and Dragons in the Garden

Of all the garden books I have, this one has become my favorite. More than anything, it is a poetic journey into the soil and into the very heart of how things grow. Most of my other books have lots of pictures, and how-to elements. This one speaks to my soul, and my heart. I routinely finish reading with tears in my eyes, reminded again … Continue reading Dinosaurs and Dragons in the Garden

You Got Something in your Pocket?

The animals have a large area to roam, but they really like to be walked by one of us. Here, Benjamin is walking the pigs and the goats. In the first picture, SweePea is getting really close to Ben, hoping there might be an apple or something in his back pocket. She’s the cutest, sweetest, 800-lb animal we have ever been around. Still, you want … Continue reading You Got Something in your Pocket?

A Year in Review and My Calendar Conundrum

One of the things I love about the end of one year and the beginning of another, is looking over what we accomplished and setting our sights on new goals. This year was a bit of a highlight because I don’t think we have ever done so many new things in one year. We went from city kids to country kids in 2012. At the … Continue reading A Year in Review and My Calendar Conundrum

Regrouping and Using Curiosity & Creativity Locally

There are more tragedies in the world than I can fathom. The truth is, our world is so connected, we cannot help but know devastating details of incidents that happen across vast distances. Which is why I have unplugged recently. The recent cruelties and losses have been horrendous. I stopped listening to the radio. I haven’t been online in quite a while. It scared me … Continue reading Regrouping and Using Curiosity & Creativity Locally

Simplicity: How Did We Ever Forget?

My husband had our 8-year old helping make breakfast for our Big Country Breakfast on Sunday. It was homemade biscuits with homemade gravy and scrambled eggs from our chickens. Ben was cracking the eggs and whisking them. He was adding the salt and pepper, and noticing that we are running low on salt. He suggested going to the Bonneville Salt Flats for a refill. (He … Continue reading Simplicity: How Did We Ever Forget?

The Pigs are Home! The Pigs are Home! Sweet Pea’s Finally Here!

There she is – in all her glory – checking out her new pig pen that we built out of an old skateboard ramp we took apart board by board (actually Joe did last summer) from a tree job my husband did. Oh – that was such a fortuitous job  – because we did a partial trade for the granite sink we just put in … Continue reading The Pigs are Home! The Pigs are Home! Sweet Pea’s Finally Here!

Home Grown. Homemade. A Little Bragging on my Man!

Scott kept himself busy today working up a delicious dinner. I got home to fresh baked cookies. There were homemade hamburger buns, hamburgers and bacon from our local Butcher Shop (which only sells locally raised meat). Throw in some homemade potato chips. We had the canned jalapenos from the garden, and mayonnaise made from our own chicken’s eggs. Oh, and he made the little guys … Continue reading Home Grown. Homemade. A Little Bragging on my Man!

“Better Stock up on Oil and Band-aids, Mom!”

Bean has had such an exciting day. He got to negotiate with a Motorcycle Builder and Shop Owner today for a little mini-bike. Dave asked him, as he’s asked him several times in the past, “How much do you have in your pocket?” Well, this time, Bean was prepared. He’d asked his dad moments before they walked into the shop to give him $5.00 to … Continue reading “Better Stock up on Oil and Band-aids, Mom!”

We Finish the Fireplace to Unseasonably Warm Weather

The fireplace is installed, and the boys sat with their dad as he made the first fire in our new wood-burning stove. We sat and watched the fire for a little while, and felt it warm up the house beyond our wildest dreams. Then, the day actually turned into a sunny day, and we realized we had lots to do outside to prepare for the … Continue reading We Finish the Fireplace to Unseasonably Warm Weather

Chimney. Done. Stove. Tomorrow.

Up in the Attic, putting in the Chimney Pipe. It looks dark and scary, but I am seriously envisioning some whitewash, some dormer windows, and some big open spaces up here for an art room or study! Fun, right? We could not resist taking a photo once light started pouring into the attic, and Scott could poke his head out of the roof. I scurried … Continue reading Chimney. Done. Stove. Tomorrow.

Keeping Little Hands Busy while Daddy is installing the Wood Stove

I asked the boys today what their favorite part of the Fall Season is, and they started mentioning all the bright colors of the trees. Before we knew it, we were in the middle of a gigantic art project. I pick up these enormous sized papers at Costco – they give them to me for free when I tell them I’m working with young artists … Continue reading Keeping Little Hands Busy while Daddy is installing the Wood Stove